Saturday I was invited by my friend, Alan, to go to his gym and work out with his trainer Darche’. I have always wanted to experience what a personal trainer might have to offer, and Alan had said that he really liked this guy, so I gave it a whirl.
As a result, I have now experienced a new level of physical pain and suffering I have heretofore not experienced! In fact with the stroke of each and every key in writing this blog, small pains are shooting up my arms and shoulders.
Apparently, it was an “arms” day. We spent our time on bench press, incline press, decline butterflies, and cable butterflies. On each exercise we did 6-8 reps and 4-6 sets. By the time I got to set 4, I couldn’t push anything up anymore. I was beat.
However, I did learn that having a trainer (or even a partner who knows what he’s doing), is really worth it.
- They overestimate what you can do, while you tend to underestimate what you can do.
- They watch your form and keep you doing the exercise right.
- They spot you so you don’t drop things and kill yourself.
- They motivate you, push you, and get you to do the one or two extra you wouldn’t have done alone.
- They track your progress and help you see how well you’ve progressed.
My friend began a few months ago, and I have seen how noticeably huge he has gotten. In his first week he had lost something like 10% body fat, and gained like 3 inches all over. He is very dedicated and goes 6 days a week.
Overall, it was a surprisingly positive experience… yeah I know… I even astound myself… a positive experience at a gym is possible?!?! I left thinking “I may even repeat this experience sometime in the near future. ”
Until I woke up the next morning. PAIN. Agony. Hurt. I couldn’t move my arm up higher than my chest. Every arm movement cause new pain somewhere else. Simple and routine things like pulling a shirt over my head, opening a heavy door, and pushing yourself up off the floor suddenly become painful, and the creative solutions have to follow. Rolling up onto your feet rather than pushing up. Putting a shirt on one arm at a time.
Three days, hours of stretching, one massage, and 3 gallons of water later, the pain is now starting to subside.
Exercise really isn’t so bad… maybe.